How To Fix A Flooded Basement

It’s every homeowner’s nightmare: you walk downstairs to grab something, only to find a pool of water on the floor. Whether you fear finding just a few inches of water or you’re imagining feet of water soaking all of your belongings, neither is that great. If your nightmare happens to become a reality, though, there are luckily a few steps you can take to handle the problem.

Remove Any WaterBefore you can work to truly take care of the problem, you have to get the water out of there, and as quickly as possible. Water buildup can quickly cause much more severe problems, so the sooner you can remove it all, the better. How you decide to go about it, though, really depends on how much water is in the basement to begin with. For smaller amounts, a mop and towels can work well to soak up the water. For larger amounts you’ll need something considerably more powerful.You’ll want to buy, rent, or borrow either a portable sump pump, a wet vacuum, or a wet shop vacuum. A sump pump requires an outlet as well as a place to dump the water, which means that, assuming your downstairs drains are not accessible, you’ll need to attach a hose that then leads outside and far away from your home. A wet vacuum removes only small amounts of water at a time, so you’ll spend a considerable amount of effort simply taking the receptacle back and forth to empty it. A wet shop vacuum can carry more water but that means, of course, it is heavier to transport.

Dry Your BasementYou’ve gotten the big pools of water out—now comes for the hard part! You need to thoroughly let your basement dry and air out to avoid mold, mildew, and structural damage. This means opening windows and running fans to circulate air or turning on heat and leaving windows open for moisture to escape. A dehumidifier is also a great option so long as you keep windows closed and empty the holding container every time it fills up.

Waterproof Your BasementSo you’ve removed the water and gotten excess moisture out. You’re done here, right? Well, not quite. If a basement flooding happened once, that means it can easily happen again. Your home is likely the most expensive thing you own, so make sure you’re not neglecting it! Hiring a professional basement waterproofer can help repair any damage that you might not even see and also prevent issues in the future. Learn more about how AA Action Waterproofing can keep future damage from happening. It’s an investment that will save you from having to go through the trouble of removing water from your home once again!